Partnering with Port Lympne Reserve (Kent, UK) and Parque de Cabárceno (Cantabria, Spain), Sony Mobile challenged park employees to capture more intimate glimpses of wildlife by getting up close and personal with its new Xperia X smartphone.

Park rangers and animal keepers attended a masterclass taught by renowned wildlife photographer Neil Aldridge to pick up some photography tips and learn how best to utilise the phone's unique features.

Those lessons obviously paid off, because they came through splendidly with some magical images that will make your fingers itch for Instagram. Take a look at some of their shots:

The Xperia X features a 23MP camera.

Image: Parque de Cabárceno

Xperia X boasts a "Quick Launch and Capture" feature.

Image: Parque de Cabárceno

Both parks are supported by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

Image: PARQUE DE CABÁRCENO

Park employees were tasked with capturing images of the animals in motion.

Image: PARQUE DE CABÁRCENO

Both parks featured work for the conservation of endangered species.

Image: PARQUE DE CABÁRCENO

Not 100% what it is, but it's cute!

Image: Port Lympne Reserve

Port Lympne Reserve houses over 50 species and has around 700 animals living in the park.

Image: Port Lympne Reserve

Some moisturiser might be useful here.

Park rangers and animal keepers were encouraged to get up close and personal to the animals.

Image: Port Lympne Reserve

In Sony's video below, the photographer says features like the phone's Predictive Hybrid Autofocus, which creates sharper images while tracking moving objects, are useful for taking pictures of the animals.

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